Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that the election results of five states declared recently has set the trend that the Congress would be gradually decimated from the Indian polity.Adressing the media persons on the sidelines of the death anniversary of Mata Jaswant Kaur, the mother of Cabinet Minister Mr. Surjit Singh Rakhra here at Rakhra Farms, the Chief Minister said that the way Congress has been routed from the electoral scene in the recent assembly polls to five states except Pudducherry was reflective of people’s mood to get rid of its anti-poor policies. Buoyed with confidence, Mr. Badal said that it was writing on the wall that Congress would also meet the same fate in the coming Punjab assembly polls in 2017.
Asked to comment on any possible financial package to the state by Centre, the Chief Minister quipped that BJP-led NDA government has already given several prestigious projects like AIIMS, IIM, Horticulture Institute, Amritsar and Ludhiana as smart cities besides giving heritage status to Amritsar and have never denied us anything asked for. Even the Centre has also hiked states’ share in its financial resources from 32 to 42%, from which Punjab has also been immensely benefitted.
Clearing the mist over the issue of shortage of wheat stocks, the Chief Minister said that the state government had already satisfied the GoI with facts and figures as the Punjab was undertaking procurement of food grains on behalf of Food Corporation of India (FCI)-the Centre’s nodal agency. Mr. Badal said, “Had we defaulted on this issue, then how the GoI have cleared the cash credit limit for the procurement of current wheat procurement season. He lamented that the opposition parties both Congress and AAP were making hue and cry over it besides blowing this issue out of proportion just to capture headlines in the media, where as the state government had already clarified this issue not once but several times its factual position through advertisements in newspapers and hoardings.
Earlier, paying tributes to Mata Jaswant Kaur ji, the Chief Minister said that she played a pro-active role in up-bringing her family due to her concerted efforts, all her three sons was at the pinnacle of their glory and serving the mankind whole heartedly with humility.Prominent amongst others who were present Cabinet Minister Mr. Surjit Singh Rakhra and his brothers Mr. Charanjit Singh Rakhra and Mr. Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Darshan Singh Shivalik, Chairman Punjab State Backward Classes Commission, Prof. Kirpal Singh Badungar, Mayor Municipal Commissioner Mr. Amarinder Singh Bajaj, Chairman Punjab State Tourism Corporation Mr. Surjit Singh Ablowal, District President SAD Urban Mr. Indermohan Singh Bajaj, Senior Akali leader Mr. Bhagwan Dass Juneja, Mr. Surjit Singh Kohli, Mr, Harmel Singh Tohra and Mr. Ajaib Singh Mukhmailpur (All former ministers), Ex-CPS Mr. Raj Kumar Khurana besides senior leader and party workers of SAD-BJP and members of the SGPC.